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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: ruler · scale · chip · mark · land · cue · kick · bear

  1. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. land — ground
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. mark — a grade
  6. bear — the animal
  7. bear — the animal
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. chip — to eat
  10. land — to come down
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. cue — for pool
  13. land — a country
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. cue — a hint
  17. cue — a signal
  18. chip — for betting
  19. kick — in football
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. scale — size or range
  22. scale — in music
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. ruler — for measuring

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com